Beach Safety Plan Broke State Rules

DAYTONA BEACH — State coastal engineers have told Daytona Beach that it violated environmental regulations by grading the beach with bulldozers as part of its oceanfront safety plan.

Assistant City Manager Richard Quigley said Friday that state engineers told the city Thursday it needs a permit from the state Department of Natural Resources to grade the beach, creating a parking zone and traffic lanes. The city already has state permission to grade in front of its 16 beach approaches.

G. L. Hill, an engineer for the state Bureau of Engineering and Regulation, a division of the Natural Resources Department, said Friday the state won't allow anyone, including oceanfront cities, to grade the beach east of the coastal construction setback line.

The state believes motorized grading harms the beach, but Hill said the state also understands that Daytona Beach is ''desperately seeking some way to separate people and cars on the beach.''

Hill wouldn't predict whether the state would give Daytona Beach a permit to grade the beach. He classified the grading by Daytona Beach since Aug. 8 as a minor violation.

Daytona Beach has been experimenting with daytime traffic regulation in hopes of reducing the chance of liability in oceanfront traffic accidents.

Beachfront cities were exposed to liability by a Florida Supreme Court ruling in June.

In Daytona Beach, night beach driving was banned. Then day driving was restricted with orange traffic cones that limited cars to north and south lanes.

Cones on the western side were removed after graders built up a small sand barrier that protects sunbathers from cars.

Also on Friday, Broadwalk merchants persuaded Mayor Larry Kelly to ask commissioners to consider allowing night parking on the beach in front of the Broadwalk until Sept. 3.

Merchants, who paid $4,330 per month for parking, said Wednesday they could not afford it. The city said it would not assume the cost but Kelly suggested Thursday that the city pay for the parking through Labor Day.

A special city commission meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Monday on the idea.